Saturday, December 22, 2012

Christmas holiday,
finally. At last, I should have enough time to talk about all the
interesting teas that have been accumulating on my shelf for quite a
while.

Let's start with yet
another Katahira – or let's get back to Katahira, to be more
accurate. Here's a tea from this great Nunosawa, Shizuoka-based
producer I haven't talked about yet – a tea, which is, among his
classic Senchas, presumably of the highest grade.

Purchased from Pu-erh.sk
quite a while ago, Sencha Kaori was picked in May 2012 and is a blend
of four different breeds - 30% Ó Iwase, 30% Meiryoku, 20%
Yamanoibuki, 20% Saemidori.

Its leaves are long,
light-steamed shiny green needles, very beautiful and obviously
processed with great amount of care. They have a sweet, fine smell;
one that is fresh, fruity and creamy.

The first infusion is
light-yellow in color and gets gradually more opaque as it cools
down. Its taste is sweet, very refined, deep and complex – from
tones of ripe fruit, such as pears and gooseberries, to sweet cream,
milk and vivid umami, almost reminiscent of half-shaded or shaded
teas. These notes are continued in a long, mouth-filling aftertaste,
again very deep and sweet, though also fresh and very fruity.

The second infusion is
yellowish-green in color, very clear and slightly cooler in taste.
Again, tones of fruit, sweet cream, umami, deepness and overall
refinement. A medium-long aftertaste; slightly lighter than before,
more refreshing and, for a second brew, still very sweet without any
sharp notes.

Two more infusions are
made of these leaves; the third one still a deep, complex brew with
sweet fruity and creamy notes, getting just a bit drier in the
ending.

The fourth, the final –
light green color, a lighter, drier and simpler taste, less deep,
though still mostly fruity, creamy and very clear. This taste stays
in the mouth for along time, the aftertaste still doesn't get any
less refined. All the sweetness and creaminess previously
encountered, still not planning to leave. Impressive.

I've purposely made the
taste notes shorter this time to get to the question already
mentioned in the name of this post - this tea seems almost perfect.
Sometimes I think it's too perfect, actually. There's this thing
about such high-grade, traditional Sencha teas, especially the
blended ones – they are very refined and good from all points of
view, mostly, which, actually, detracts a bit of surprise from the
experience. It is important to say that this has nothing to do with
quality of tea in any way – it's just a matter of personal
preference. I seem to enjoy teas that are able to surprise me, teas
that get stuck in my mind for whatever reason more than teas which
are just great – in a classic, conservative, traditional way. Just
one example, purposely from the same producer – Sencha Tsuyuhikari.

This tea, Sencha Kaori,
tastes exactly how it's supposed to taste. Exactly how a Sencha of
such a high grade is supposed to taste. There is absolutely nothing
wrong with that.

It's just that sometimes I
think tea is quite similar to people. When you're around someone who
is perfect all the time, there is quite a high chance you are going
to get bored.

Of course, these teas are
not meant to be consumed every day, so such case probably isn't going
to happen.

This is definitely a great
tea. Try it, drink it, enjoy it. You won't be disappointed.

You might not be
surprised. But, after all, that is not what these teas are meant to
do.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

So, just a quick reminder
– these teas come from Ohira tea estate located in Shizuoka and are
grown in what can be considered a mountainous area – elevation of
500-1000 meters.

Ohira's Sencha has
shorter, presumably middle-steamed leaves, lot of them broken, but
overall quite attractive, shiny and dark-green. Their smell is sweet,
fresh and slightly roasted.

The first infusion is
light green in color and just as light on tongue; its soft, clear
taste comprises tones of roasted nuts, almonds, creamy sweetness and
milkiness. This tea is far less fruity than most Senchas from
Shizuoka, instead providing an interesting combination of warm,
nut-like notes and light, soft character – in a way, it almost
reminded me of some higher-grade Kamairicha. Its aftertaste is quite
warm, sweet and very refined. This is something that Sencha Ohira
shares with its Kabuse counterpart – this unusual, refined
lightness and purity, that, in my opinion, might be a result of its
high-mountain origin. Interestingly, it keeps this lightness even
with higher dosage of leaves and longer brewing time. A big positive
in my eyes, especially with Japanese teas, which are often very easy
to overbrew.The second infusion is
again light green in color, while its taste is now slightly sharper
and slightly fruitier – tones of almonds, milk and plums. Though
still very soft and fine, this brew also gains on the typical Sencha
green freshness, while it loses a bit of the former roasted tone. Its
aftertaste is now more vivid; still warm and sweet, but less creamy
and more fruity.

The third infusion is
light green, completely transparent and has a taste profile similar
to the second brew. While quite sharp, it maintains the lightness,
purity and some of the former creamy sweetness, though it now
showcases more of the fruity tones – again, plums. These are
accompanied by slightly spicy nuances, as well as a hint of
woodiness. The aftertaste is medium-long, mouthfilling and less sweet
than before, dominated by fruity sharpness.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Peter Stanik, the owner of
Pu-erh.sk, kindly sent me samples of two new Japanese teas in his
offering, teas that seemed interesting just from reading the
description – one Sencha and one Kabusecha from Ohira tea estate, a
grower who's never sent his teas abroad before. Moreover, grown in
mountainous part of Shizuoka – when talking about Japanese teas,
elevation of 500-1000 meters above sea level can almost be considered
high-mountain.

The preheated Shiboridashi
intensifies this aroma. As the water cools down, the first infusion
is prepared – transparent, light yellow in color, with a taste that
is round, clear and light - lighter than most shaded or half-shaded
teas, actually. Tones of grapes, milk, hazelnuts and apple juice.
Though light overall, this brew also shows significant amount of
umami and warm, creamy sweetness. Long, refined aftertaste; not too
strong, not that aggressive, but indeed complex, deep and dominated
by green grapes and light sweetness. All this accompanied by a
calming effect on mind, again, different from most Kabuse teas –
again, quite light, yet perceivable.

The second infusion gains
strength as expected. Its color is now green, still transparent and
very clear. This brew tastes slightly sharper, though still very
light and pure, with strong umami, predominant fruity tone of apples
and grapes, followed by creamy sweetness, milk and nuts. The
aftertaste is, again, light but long, just a little shorter than
before, very pure and with nuances of fresh, green fruit, vanilla and
leaves an unexpected feeling, reminding me of pines and conifer
forests – a walk in the mountains, almost. I'm always fond of such
an effect in Japanese teas.

The third brew keeps the
second's green color and returns to the rounder character of the
first infusion, though providing less deepness and more of the nutty,
spicy tones with slightly weakened sweet, milky notes. Still very
pure and light, this brew has a medium-long aftertaste, more mouth
filling than before and dominated by vanilla, hazelnuts and apples.

One more infusion is
prepared with significantly hotter water; a touch of sweetness, green
freshness and spicy, woody simplicity. A warm, satisfying finish.

About Me

Necessary to say, I'm not a native English speaker (as you have probably already figured out from my entries), so please forgive me my mistakes and limited use of language. Other than that, I am an eternal student deeply appreciating good tea and all joys connected to it. Among my other interests is poetry – apart from reading, I also try to do my best in writing it. Then goes film, which is a big passion of mine as well as my field of study. Naturally, I would like to continue and deepen these interests in the future.